Since our first week started with a water heater malfunction, it was only fitting that it should end with one. We have been operating on cold water only since the second day of the trip. The weather was warm for the first few days, and there were plentiful hot showers at the campgrounds where we stayed, so it wasn’t a burning issue up to today. But, last night some real fall weather swept in, with overnight temperatures in the 40’s and a brisk wind blowing. Lack of hot water this morning was more than annoying. It was downright uncomfortable! I consulted Max, the dealer who sold us Wanda2, to see if he had any thoughts on what the problem might be. He thought we might need a new thermocouple. I called a couple of RV mechanics near our campground in Emmett, but nobody had one. So we decided to look for a service center as we traveled today.

About an hour into the trip we saw signs for Camping World ahead on our route. This is an RV sales, service and supply center that has just about everything for RV’ing, LOTS of it. They didn’t want to take my word for it that I needed a thermocouple; they wanted to diagnose the problem first. They were able get our rig into their shop, and in short order determined that the problem was, indeed, a blown thermocouple. Then there was the matter of getting a replacement. There were none in stock. Finally the mechanic found one in his toolbox and installed it. It was suggested that we find a spare or two to bring with us in case the new one fails. (Apparently these things are subject to failure rather often …). Another customer suggested trying a different RV center nearby. We called, they had them, and we went over to get some. When our paperwork was completed we were able to get back on the road. At that point it was after 6 p.m. and we still had almost 3 hours of driving left. 😵‍💫

With a full tank of fuel and hot water in the trailer, we headed to our destination, Poncho’s Pond RV Park in Ludington, Michigan. We arrived a little after 9 p.m., tired and hungry, but happy to have our hot water issue fixed. The street lights in the park were out so it took a little bit of poking to find our campsite, then get Gracie emptied and fed, and ourselves off to bed.

Tomorrow morning we have an early sail to Wisconsin on the SS Badger. Stay tuned!

Today’s stats: 261.7 miles, 7 hours 16 minutes driving time 😵‍💫, 12.1 mpg

PS – if you haven’t guessed yet, it’s a thermocouple